COM SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
OF HEALTH MONTH
During the month of November, Student Physicians for Social Responsibility (SPSR), along with the Equity and Diversity Advancement Committee (EDAC), hosted the first COM Social Determinants of Health Month (SDOHM) initiative. SPSR and EDAC teamed up with twelve other clubs to organize events for students, faculty, and UNE community members to learn about accessibility, diversity, inclusivity, and equity in medicine. Throughout SDOHM, students and community members explored conditions in which people live, grow, work, learn, practice religion, and age that impact individual health, while also learning about systems of oppression that perpetuate those conditions and disparities in healthcare. The events encouraged participants to think about how they can affect positive change in our communities and in our future patient populations. Altogether, there were over 18 events and online learning modules in which community members could participate or self-study. Participants learned about topics in the intersections of healthcare and social injustice, environmental racism, disenfranchisement, underrepresentation, and discrimination in medicine. Some of the events of the month included: The Other Pandemic: Exploring Systems of Legacies in Racism (SPSR & EDAC), Social Determinants of Health in the Latinx Community (LMSA), Henry Benjamin Was Correct – Then and Now: Transgender Healthcare (HEAl), Adverse Childhood Experiences and Childhood SDOH (Pediatrics Club), Female Physicians Panel (AMWA), SDOH and the COVID19 Pandemic (SOMA) and the Annual Interfaith Medical Ethics Panel (JMSA, MSA, & CMDA). SPSR concurrently hosted a Food, Thermometer, and Money Drive for the Biddeford food pantry, and were able to donate all the goods before the Winter Holidays. Finally, the SDOHM Team maintained a website of resources for more learning and made daily posts to UNE COM’s Instagram about various topics in social determinants of health.
The SDOHM initiative served as a breakthrough point for the greater UNE Community to lean into conversations of equity and diversity in healthcare. It also offered a space for students and faculty members to strengthen their voice and passion for social justice medicine. The response from the COM community was incredible. Students and faculty participated in zoom lectures, hosted uncomfortable conversations, and empowered themselves to learn and un-learn about accessible, inclusive, diverse, and equitable medicine. Furthermore, during the initiative, students or faculty who participated three or more events were given a white coat lapel pin as a symbol of their commitment to the initiative’s ideals. In all, 70 COM students, faculty, and community members committed themselves to the initiative and received SDOHM pins.
SDOHM 2021 hopes to be even further far-reaching by including students and faculty of UNE’s undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs.
The members of the 2020 SDOHM Team included Alyssa Ahern, OMS-II (Director of SDOHM), Jesse Katon, OMS-I (Assistant Director of SDOHM), Maggie Calamari, OMS-II, (EDAC Co-Chair), and Maeve Hickey, OMS-II, (EDAC Co-Chair). Instagram posts were created by SDOHM Team members as well as Claudia Maynard, OMS-I, Kaye Dandrea, OMS-I, Travis Wheeler, OMS-II, and Shadia Kawkabani.